Gearing Up for Atlanta, June 3-5 The FORUM 2014 Committee members are developing sessions and reaching out to speakers to make the conference a valuable learning and networking experience. The conference will kick off with an evening reception on Tuesday, June 3. FORUM will open at 9:00 am with a keynote address and run all day until 4:00 pm on Wednesday. That evening, the 2014 Beacon Awards® will be announced during a dinner program running from approximately 6:00 to 8:30 pm. And Thursday June 5 will be a 2/3 day program closing at approximately 2:00 pm.

The Omni Hotel at CNN Center, 190 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303, will host FORUM 2014 and is holding a block of rooms for the conference. Reservations may be made by contacting the Omni at 800-962-6664 and reference: Association of Cable Communicators. Room rates are $159/night plus tax for up to four individuals sharing a single room. All members are encouraged to join Omni’s Select Guest program (free) prior to your stay to enjoy complementary Internet access, morning beverage, pressing (up to two items), shoe shine, newspaper and customized room preferences.

Earlier this month C-SPAN celebrated its 35th year making government more open to the American public through telecasting political proceedings to millions of households across the country. On March 19, 1979 C-SPAN transmitted the first television feed from the U.S. House of Representatives, a one-minute speech by then-Congressman Al Gore and reached nearly three million American homes, the first day the House allowed television coverage.

That first broadcast was made possible by C-SPAN’s four initial employees, Brian Lamb, Jana Dabrowski (Fay), Don Houle, and Brian Lockman. Originally funded by the cable industry and still 100% funded by cable, today C-SPAN has nearly 300 employees and averages 8,000 hours of original programming every year. It has four networks, C-SPAN (U.S. House of Representatives), C-SPAN2 (U.S. Senate), C-SPAN3 (public affairs events) and C-SPAN Radio available in Washington, DC and nationwide on Sirius-XM. Additionally, all four programming streams are available via a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

To celebrate its 35 years of covering Congress and public affairs, C-SPAN has posted 35 videos, one for each year, at http://www.c-span.org/35years/. The first video is of Rep. Al Gore (D-TN) who was on the inaugural day of coverage and 34 additional notable videos, one for each year of the history of the C-SPAN networks.

C-SPAN has twice been the recipient of ACC’s Golden Beacon Award® in 2010 for C-SPAN's Video Library and in 2003 for C-SPAN's Presidential Timeline Giveaway. These awards are in addition to the numerous Beacon Awards® the network has been won over the years. C-SPAN has also been honored with three Peabody Awards and with dozens of other national awards and citations. For additional information on C-SPAN’s 35th anniversary, contact Peter Kiley at pkiley@c-span.org or 202-626-4874.Back to Top

Time Warner Cable Opens NYC Experience Store

In the Flatiron District of New York City, on March 18, Time Warner Cable celebtated the grand opening of its new Flagship Experience Store, located at 43 West 23rd St. The store features an innovative retail concept aimed at providing customers with exceptional customer service. It also provides customers with an interactive experience to learn about and experience Time Warner Cable’s suite of TV, Internet and phone products and services.

“As we continue to introduce new product technologies and features, the new Flagship store will serve as a resource for customers to better understand everything we have to offer,” said John Quigley, regional vice president of operations, Time Warner Cable. “This store is all about improving customer service and connecting with our customers by providing a relaxed and engaging environment that encourages people to interact with and sample our products.”

In honor of the occasion, local officials and Time Warner Cable executives were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, March 18 at 9:30 a.m. The event celebrated the store’s opening and the launch of a new Time Warner Cable initiative that is enhancing the customer experience in New York City with improvements such as an all-digital network for crisper picture and sound, fast Internet speeds up to 300 Mbps, new navigation and On Demand portals with up to 75,000 hours of content, and improved quality and reliability.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony included a custom cake by Buddy Valastro of TLC’s “Cake Boss” followed by special guest appearances by Mauro Castano of TLC’s “Cake Boss” and the Minions from Despicable Me 2. Guests enjoyed an HBO® Game of Thrones® photo experience and a cupcake and cannoli decorating demonstration hosted by Castano along with treats from the Cake Boss Cafe. Local radio broadcast live onsite and prizes including tickets to the EPIX Big Movie Night Out, NY Knicks game, Time Warner Cable’s MSG Concert Series and an HBO® Boxing After Dark® fight in Atlantic City were raffled off during the grand opening event.

In conjunction with the celebration, Time Warner Cable made donations to Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Police Athletic League and New York Cares as part of the company’s “TWCONN3TS With The Community” philanthropic campaign. From March 18 to March 31, Time Warner Cable will donate up to $15,000 to each charity through an interactive customer participation fundraising campaign.

The New York City Flagship store is expected to serve more customers than any other Time Warner Cable store and is its largest at 14,000 square feet. For additional information, contact Bobby Amirshahi at bobby.amirshahi@twcable.com or 212-420-4877.Back to Top

Students Go on Virtual China Field Trip with Michelle Obama

During First Lady Michelle Obama’s recent trip to China, Discovery Education electronically “transported” students via a virtual field trip to hear her participate in a cultural exchange with a student studying abroad in China as part of the Of the People: Live from the White House Virtual Field Trip series.

Giving students unique access to White House professionals, experts and personalities, Discovery Education “transported” students into a Chinese classroom alongside the First Lady during “Exchange for a Day.” On March 25, Discovery Education broadcast the interview online to students across the U.S., building cultural awareness and global citizenship among participants. Students and educators were invited to register for the event and submit questions for the First Lady.

This trip is part of the First Lady’s tour of Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu, China to continue her message of the power and importance of education, both in her own life and in the lives of young people across the world. She visited important historical and cultural sites in China, and shared the stories of the students she met, as well as interesting facts about China’s history and culture, emphasizing the importance of students learning from one another globally.

Discovery Education and the White House’s Virtual Field Trip series, “Of the People,” has already provided students a special look at the art and history of the White House with curator William Allman as well as an inside look at a 21st century digital classroom with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Each virtual field trip session is supported with digital video and other learning resources to encourage and enhance student engagement. For more information contact Amber Harris at amber_harris@discovery.com or 240-662-5235.Back to Top

31st Annual Cosmic Golf Challenge

Bright House Networks was a sponsor of the Orlando Science Center’s 31st annual Cosmic Golf Challenge at the ChampionsGate Golf Club. For the last three decades Bright House has supported this event, which raises funds for science education.

During the Cosmic Golf Challenge, corporate teams and individual players “swing for science” over 18 holes of a four-person scramble play tournament. To add excitement to the event, it incorporates raffle prizes including a one-night stay and a round of golf for four at the OMNI Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, a round of golf for four at any Walt Disney World Resort course, admission to Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, or Universal Studios, a Golf Buddy Voice GPS Watch and other items.

Bright House Networks involvement with the Orlando Science Center, through events like the Cosmic Golf Challenge, help raise the necessary funds to achieve their goal of inspiring life-long science learning for the more than 400,000 guests who visit the Center. Money raised through the Cosmic Golf Challenge support education programs that encourage children to explore the world around them through science. The live programming and exhibit experiences that result spark children’s curiosity and encourage them to see the impact that science, technology, engineering and math have on their lives and future career opportunities.

Additional support for the Center and the Cosmic Golf Challenge is provided by TCS Communications, General Utility Construction, Cisco, Noble Resources and Jaguar Technologies. For additional information contact Brian Craven at brian.craven@mybrighthouse.com or 407-215-5597.Back to Top

Time Warner Sponsors 5th Annual Girls Empowerment Day

On March 7, the New York Urban League (NYUL) presented its 5th annual Girls Empowerment Day. Over the last four years, these empowerment events have offered young men and women across New York City the opportunity to explore career paths and network with professionals from across corporate America.

The panel touched on topics ranging from beauty perceptions, race, the key to building a successful career, as well as the struggles individuals face on the path to a successful career. Most importantly, the panel encouraged the young women in the audience that beauty comes in all forms, and that their dreams are within their reach if they pursue them fearlessly and with passion.

Guests during the event also enjoyed a performance by the group Audible Chocolate. The day ended with closing remarks from Imani Breaker, vice president of customer care, Time Warner Cable, and a networking reception. For additional information, contact Summer Wilkie at Summer.Wilkie@timewarner.com or 212-484-8000.Back to top

Comcast & NBCUniversal Honored by Veteran-Owned Businesses The National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) recently announced their annual list honoring the best U.S. corporations for working with veteran-owned businesses, and Comcast and NBCUniversal were included on the list of 25 top companies. The list honors large corporations that most successfully engage the nation’s more than three million veteran-owned businesses as suppliers.

Seeking to partner with diverse suppliers for business needs is a good business practice for Comcast and NBCUniversal and the suppliers. The companies Supplier Diversity Program is designed to promote, increase and improve the participation of diverse businesses within their supply chain. It includes primary, or Tier I, suppliers as well as vendors at the Tier II (subcontracting) level. This program provides Comcast and NBCUniversal with reliable resources, creates jobs, strengthens purchasing power and builds value for shareholders. In 2013, Comcast and NBCUniversal’s spending with diverse suppliers, including minority-, woman- and veteran-owned business enterprises, exceeded $1.2 billion.

In addition to the dedication Comcast and NBCUniversal have to working with veteran-owned businesses, the companies are committed to hiring veterans from an estimated one million service members who will be leaving the military over the next five years. In March 2012, the companies pledged to hire 1,000 veterans over three years as part of a partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes initiative. That goal has been exceeded with the hiring of more than 2,000 veterans. For more information on NaVOBA and their annual list honoring the best U.S. corporations, contact Barbara Pflughaupt at Barbara@bpmediarelations.com or 212-707-8181.Back to Top

Volunteer to Judge the Beacon Awards®

Are you interested in connecting with your fellow cable communicators? ACC continues to need volunteers to judge the 2014 Beacon Award®. Get involved and help put your stamp on ACC programs to meet the needs of cable communicators. For more information please contact Steve Jones at sjones@cablecommunicators.org or 202-222-2373.Back to Top